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Sheriff urges voters to back half‑percent sales tax to fund new headquarters
Summary
Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Breeze told the Board of Supervisors he and community supporters plan a citizen initiative to place a half‑percent sales tax on the November ballot to finance a new sheriff’s office headquarters, saying the measure will not raise property taxes and the campaign window is short.
Sheriff Jeremy Breeze told the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors on April 8 that he and local supporters will push a citizen initiative asking voters to approve a half‑percent sales tax to raise funds for a new sheriff’s office headquarters.
Breeze said the campaign will be a citizens’ initiative for the November ballot and emphasized the proposal would not increase property taxes. “I was very, very clear that, absolutely no, on property taxes,” he said, adding that a sales tax would draw revenue from the county’s visitors and non‑resident spending. He told the board the timeframe for placing a measure on the November ballot makes outreach “short” and “it’s going to be an all hands on deck” effort.
The sheriff described the headquarters project as a long‑term safety and operations need for the office. He told supervisors the sheriff’s office carries responsibilities beyond law enforcement—search and rescue, coroner duties, court security and jail operations—and argued a new facility would serve the office and the community for decades. Breeze said supporters will present multiple funding ideas but prefer a sales tax so that the cost is borne in part by visitors and non‑owners who spend in the county.
Breeze did not provide a detailed project cost estimate during the presentation. He said the campaign group will provide more information and education to the public as they organize and that the short timetable for a November ballot would compress outreach and fundraising timelines.
The board did not take any formal action on the concept during the April 8 meeting. Supervisors discussed the presentation and thanked Breeze for briefing the board; no vote or formal referral was recorded.
Looking ahead, Breeze told the board he and local supporters will distribute informational materials and appear at community events when the campaign is active. He asked supervisors to expect outreach from the campaign and to share information with constituents once materials are available.
